Detroit Add-ons Join Trend For Showy Utility Vehicles

February 10, 1985

Car buyers have been adding sport touches to their vehicles for years to add personality and flair to otherwise undistinguished production line items. Now buyers of recreational vehicles are doing it, and to such an extent that one Detroit executive said, ``The pick-up and four-wheel-drive vehicle have become the new California hot rod.``

To add sportiness to an RV, you add hardware from a list that contains items from tires to the roof and from bumper to bumper. Literally.

If recreation is a main reason someone buys a pick-up or van, then that vehicle will be personalized or customized in most cases, truck experts said. That trend is so strong that most dealers who handle light trucks now are offering factory-approved add-ons.

Ford Motor Co. merchandises its lines of appearance and performance options through Special Vehicle Operations; Chrysler Corp. does it through Chrysler Direct Connection; General Motors` RV efforts are concentrated in Chevrolet Division, and American Motors uses Renault/Jeep Sport to deliver its RV-customizing items.

Some goodies are functional--they have real usefulness. Others are added purely for the sake of appearance. Still others have a dual role: They`re useful and look nice, too.

Take a look at a loaded pick-up truck for a rundown of what`s available for a buyer hankering to turn a plain, unassuming work vehicle into a statement, a showpiece. Up top you`ll see a row of running lights across the leading edge of the cab roof or maybe a light bar across the roof. The running lights are for looks. The light bar can carry headlamps for seeing ahead in heavy brush country or on extremely dusty roads.

On top, too, there may be a roll bar for protecting cab occupants in rollover accidents. Nowadays, a growing number of RVs are being fitted with sunroofs, once sold only on luxury passenger cars.

The truck can have two-tone paint, pinstripes and a decal package that make it a stand out in any parking lot. There will be styled aluminum wheels and, of course, wide tires with raised white lettering.

The truck`s cargo area will contain a soft but tough pad or mat to protect the bed, and tiedowns will be positioned for looks as much as for usefulness in anchoring rope over cargo. There even may be a neat utility box or padded, tightly stretched cover for the entire bed. Fore and aft on the loaded pick-up, you`ll find special bumpers, brush guard or tailgate protectors, tow hooks and fog lights--you name it.

Among customizers, the Chevrolet Suburban is a favorite. Such a big, powerful vehicle, once used chiefly to run work crews to job sites, it is being seen more in the suburbs where its size and go-anywhere anytime physique pays off.

Take a look inside one Suburban that`s been given the works--no-holds barred--by a major customizer. The steering wheel is leather covered, cloth panels cover the rear walls and plush carpeting extends the vehicle`s length. The cloth headliner is color coordinated, and the front seats are reclining captain`s chairs.

There`s even a TV stand, several drink holders, high intensity reading lights, illuminated vanity mirrors and tinted glass. The exterior has been given the works as well, with running boards that have matching stone guards, marker lights, luggage rack with spoiler, and front spoiler or air dam.

The sporty job now also has an exterior sun visor in matching paint, magnesium wheels, wide oval radial tires, retracting AM/FM and CB radio antennae, bumper guards and fender britches. You also can find ladders, mirrors, lightweight slide-in campers and caps, spotlights, telephones and louvers.

The RV of today may not really be the California hot rod of yesteryear, envy of every kid from Maine to Malibu, but it`s coming close. And, remember, the hot rod had no top. Today`s sporty RVs not only have tops, they can go in the snow.